Daimler working on all-new concept Bus for India

Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd has invested a sum of INR 425 crores on a new bus plant in Oragadam, Chennai. Slated to be completed and operational by mid 2015, the upcoming bus plant will have initial capacity of 1500 units which will be increased to 4,000 units later. 100% subsidiary of Germany’s Daimler AG, DICV will also showcase an all new bus concept. This will be a completely new concept, specially made for India.

DICV buses will be launched under Mercedes Benz and BharatBenz in India. Aiming to make their mark in the Indian bus segment as the company expects its bus operations to be as well received in India as their trucks. Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) plant in Chennai will be the first Daimler plant to manufacture three brands of trucks, buses and engines under one roof. The plant will roll out both front and rear engined buses in categories of 9 tonnes, 16 tonnes and above the 16 tonne capacities.

A special bus body building facility which is also a part of the new Daimler plant in Oragadam will be managed by M/s Wrightbus. The company also plans exports from this new plant of buses manufactured in India. Daimler has seen tremendous success where its truck operations in the country are concerned and wishes to see the same in its bus business.

DICV has sold over 15,000 trucks in India since September 2012 while the company exports made in India FUSO trucks to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Brunei, Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania. The company also recently introduced FUSO 2528 and FJ 2523 heavy-duty trucks for the Indonesian market. These trucks are produced at the company Chennai plant from where they will be exported to Indonesia.